


Coffee

by thomasjeffersonsmacaroni



Series: The Other 51 [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Internalized Homophobia, homeless white house assistant maria, secretary of state angelica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-02 12:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thomasjeffersonsmacaroni/pseuds/thomasjeffersonsmacaroni
Summary: Maria has a difficult relationship with coffee.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy!

She was sipping coffee when she met him.

Maria Lewis was a senior in high school growing up with parents who had never been to college. When the main breadwinners barely earned enough to put food on the table, and mainstream coffee chains like Starbucks were too expensive, you had to count every penny. So Maria, armed with a red thermos mug and a cheap coffee machine, managed to stay awake in her own, economic way, different than the rest of her classmates. She was filling in the last few questions on her worksheet and taking sips when James Reynolds walked into her life.

He was beautiful, and much taller than Maria, and he explained that he was a new student who didn't know the way to his first class. So she stood up and put her books away, and she took him by the hand and led him to his classroom, explaining along the way that they had the same first period.

"I'm Maria, by the way," she said as they chose seats next to each other.

"I'm James," he told her, smiling broadly. "Nice to meet you."

* * *

He brought her coffee.

James's uncle owned a small coffee shop, so he always had coffee on supply for his first and newest friend. It was much better than the kind that she was used to, and she grew to look forward to mornings, when he would give her a Styrofoam cup with a plastic lid and a soft, shy smile. He was her only friend, but that was more than fine by both of them; they didn't need anyone else, and Maria certainly didn't need the drama that was associated with the high school cliques at her school.

Which was why, when James slipped a note into her locker asking if she would go on a date with him to a nearby park, she said yes without a moment's hesitation.

* * *

When they graduated, they celebrated with coffee.

They sat huddled in the corner of James's uncle's coffee shop, alternating between sips and kisses. While the other kids in their grade went to parties and danced until their feet hurt and their heads were pounding, James and Maria held hands in total quiet and talked about their plans for what happened now.

"My parents can't pay for my college," Maria whispered. "And even with financial aid and the scholarships I've gotten, I won't be able to afford it." She didn't say that James was the reason why she had stopped paying as much attention to her studies, and she didn't say that she didn't really care at this point. James was her everything.

"My parents don't give a single flying fuck about my education," said James bluntly.

"Want to move in together?" Maria put down her coffee mug and looked at her boyfriend with pleading eyes.

"Of course. Anything for you, 'Ria."

* * *

They bought a coffee machine.

It was the first thing that they set up in their new apartment, and when they assembled the different pieces, both of them were smiling widely.

Every morning, the young couple would prepare two mugs; James liked his black, and Maria liked hers with as much creamer as a human could tolerate. They would clink their mugs together and take a sip, and then Maria would lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek, and that would be the extent of their morning interactions.

It wasn't as extravagant as the life that they could have had. But it was minimalistic and perfect, and to Maria, it was enough.

* * *

Whenever James got angry at her, he would throw mugs of coffee.

It didn't happen all of a sudden, like a sinkhole opening up and swallowing your home. It was slow and gradual, like a storm brewing in the distance that would utterly wreck your town.

She didn't know what caused it. Maybe it was some kind of external stressor, maybe from his work, or maybe it was some sort of anger that he had had pent up ever since he was born. But she saw him ignore her completely, then scream at her whenever she tried to kiss him. Sometimes he would hit her until she bruised and bled. And sometimes, she would hear a  _crack_ above her head, then feel shards of ceramic and scalding hot coffee spill in her hair. But even that didn't hurt as much as the names he called her, names that the two had only ever used against popular girls in their school.

And Maria should have left, she knew. What she was experiencing checked off all of the tick marks for an abusive relationship.

But he was the only person who had ever,  _would_ ever, care about her. So every time he cried and apologized and tried to kiss her better, she let him. She let him.

One day, a coffee mug shattered right on her chest. And that was when she punched him in the face, ran out of the apartment, and didn't look back.

* * *

She didn't have money for coffee.

Her family was too poor to take her back, and she had no other friends, so she resorted to begging on the streets, cup outstretched as she wiped away her tears and tried to wipe away her hunger.

School had taught her math and science and English, but she had thrown away her chance at ever using those, given it to someone who had driven her to homelessness.

And no one had ever taught her how to be homeless.

* * *

She was hired over coffee.

After about a month of nearly dying of starvation and cold, Maria decided that she would take matters into her own hands.

One of the most loyal assistants in the White House had retired, and a position was open to anyone who wanted it. It would be a high-paying job, Maria knew, and she would be in the capital of the country. The  _capital_ of the  _country_ _._

So she hitchhiked for hours (she had spent her remaining money on a cheap dress), filled out an application, and a week later was told to meet the interviewer at a nearby coffee shop so that they could get a gauge of the kind of person that she was.

And then, another week after the meeting, Maria heard the words that would change her life from that point forward.

"You're hired."

* * *

She brought coffee to the members of Washington's cabinet.

That was her job, given to her on the very first day of working there. According to all the other workers, it was a good job, and she should be proud that it had been given to her, a newcomer. She would be paid more if she did it well, and she got to see the decision makers of the country in person, like no one had before.

Maria would need to be pretty and accept everything that they said as fact, according to the other workers. She wanted to do neither of those things - both of them had gotten her into bad places in the past - but she needed the money.

So Maria did her hair like she hated and wore the makeup that she hated, and she gave up on saying that her name was Ma-rye-ah and not Ma-ree-ah, and she listened to them treat her as nothing more than an opinionless servant, and at night she fell asleep on the pavement and pretended that she didn't care.

* * *

One day, she brought one more cup than usual.

According to the news, the new Secretary of State after Thomas Jefferson moved to France was finally chosen, but Maria, without access to a TV, didn't know who it was. Probably another man who would call her "darling" and mispronounce her name and treat her like a toy.

When she stood at the door, she was surprised to hear a female voice inside, saying something and then being interrupted by the now-familiar voice of George Washington.

_A woman in the cabinet. Is she the new Secretary of State?_

She was a woman perhaps ten years or so older than Maria, black hair tied in a prim bun, white pantsuit standing out against her dark skin. She was taking meticulous notes on a pad, and although Maria would have been frustrated in her situation - every idea she presented was ignored and talked over - she kept her cool, and Maria liked her instantly.

"Hello," she said shyly, and everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her.

"Oh - Maria," said Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury. "The usual for me and for everyone else."

"Who are you?" the woman asked.

"That's Maria, the coffee girl," George Washington said to her, mispronouncing her name as he and the others usually did.

The woman turned to her and smiled. "Hi, Maria. I'm Angelica Schuyler. It's nice to meet you." She held out a hand for a handshake, and Maria hesitantly took it.

"You don't need to do that," said Hamilton. "She's just the coffee girl."

Ms. Schuyler turned to glare at him. "She's still a  _human._ And I'll treat her with respect. Maria, will you please get me that coffee with the mint creamer? It should be in a brand new box on one of the counter tops in the break room. Thank you so much."

"Yes, ma'am."

Maria prepared the men's orders with the same bored glare, but she prepared Ms. Schuyler's with a smile on her face.

* * *

 

She brought her coffee.

At first, it was just during cabinet meetings, because that was the extent of her job. The other assistants brought coffee during their regular office hours.

But one day, one of the assistants came into the room holding a note and looking confused.

"Maria," he said, mispronouncing her name. "Ms. Schuyler wants to see you personally. She says to bring the coffee with the mint creamer and whatever your favorite kind of coffee is. I have no idea why, but..."

All of the other assistants looked at him.

"Why Maria?" someone asked. "She's barely been here for three weeks. I've been here for  _years_ and I've _never_ been requested personally."

Maria shrugged. "I have no idea what's going on. But if Ms. Schuyler wants me, then I should go."

Twenty minutes later, she arrived into the office labelled "Angelica Schuyler" with two mugs of coffee. Ms. Schuyler was sitting at her desk and typing something, but she looked up when Maria came in.

"Hi, Maria," she said, smiling and putting away her laptop. "How are you?"

Maria grinned awkwardly. "I'm good, how are you?"

"Have a seat." Ms. Schuyler patted the seat next to her.

"You're not in trouble, don't worry," she added when she saw Maria's nervousness. "You just seemed like someone I'd want to talk to. An interesting person who I'd like to listen to. There aren't that many in the White House."

Maria laughed and sat down, deciding that she liked the woman very much. "That's true."

"Anyway, tell me about yourself."

Maria was confused; nobody had ever come to her like this, actually caring about what she had to say. No one.

"I'm Maria Lewis-"

"Ma-rye-a?" Ms. Schuyler interrupted. "I thought it was Ma-ree-ah. That's what everyone said."

"I've tried to tell them that it's Ma-rye-a," Maria sighed. "They won't listen. I don't think I even matter to them."

Ms. Schuyler nodded understandingly. "I've felt the same, honestly. Even though I'm the Secretary of State. I wouldn't be surprised if they called me Angela. A lot of people called me Angela when I was younger. Anyway, sorry for interrupting you. Continue."

"I'm an assistant in the White House, and I'm homeless because I don't have enough money for a house. But I'm saving up, and someday I'm going to buy a small apartment."

"Good luck." Ms. Schuyler smiled. "May I ask how you became homeless?"

Maria felt an intense feeling of discomfort. Here was a stranger - a nice stranger, but still a stranger - asking her about her very, very sensitive past. Surely Ms. Schuyler would understand if she didn't want to reveal it.

"No," she said. "I...I'm not ready to talk about it. It's a long story, and it's sort of personal."

"I understand," said Ms. Schuyler, to her relief. "You can tell me other things about yourself if you like. I'm sorry I intruded."

"It's fine," said Maria. "I'm very passionate about English and writing in general, even though I didn't have money to go to college to study them, and..."

They continued talking for hours, even after the clock struck and signaled that they had to leave.

* * *

 

She kept bringing her coffee.

Every day, there was a cabinet meeting to which Maria brought coffee. Every day, Ms. Schuyler called her by her proper name and treated her with respect while everyone else looked down on her. And every day, a note would be brought, requesting that Maria bring coffee to her office.

They chatted for hours, and Maria grew to look forward to it every day. Ms. Schuyler talked about politics, about people in the office, about her sisters Eliza and Peggy. Maria listened, and although at first she pretended to understand, she developed enough confidence to ask questions freely. Ms. Schuyler was patient, explaining everything that she was talking about without raising her voice once, even sending her links to articles online, and slowly, Maria gained enough knowledge to form her own opinions. Somewhere along the way, she started calling her Angelica.

And somewhere along the way, she developed enough courage to confess her true past.

"I grew up poor," she explained to Angelica. "My parents were poor, my grandparents were poor, my great-grandparents were poor. You know that 'cycle of poverty' thing? You could show my family as the perfect example of that."

Angelica nodded. "I've seen those kinds of families."

"Yeah. And, you know, I grew up thinking that family came first, and I was poor, so I kind of resented people who were richer than me, just because they were richer. I know now that it was wrong, but I also had people make fun of me just 'cause I was poor, so I guess I had a defense.

"I grew up friendless, and I was too focused on helping my family to focus on helping my schoolwork. Teachers used to tell me all the time that I had a lot of potential, but I wasn't applying myself or whatever. And I  _could_ have, you know. I could have. But I had to help my family first."

Maria took a deep breath before moving on to the hardest part of her tale. "And when I was in my senior year, I met James Reynolds. He was charming from the start, so tall and beautiful. I started spending even less time away from my schoolwork because I was hanging out with him. We were dating, you know. We were each other's only friends. And after high school, neither of us had enough money to go to college, so we moved in together. And at first, we were happy.

"But then, I have no idea how it happened. No idea. He started becoming more and more abusive. Hurting me, calling me a slut and a whore, throwing coffee mugs at me. That's when I ran away and became homeless, because I had no family or friends who could take me in."

At that, Maria stopped, because she had no idea what to say after saying something like that.

Angelica merely nodded. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Maria. You could have done so much more if you'd only had the chance. I promise that I'll support you, no matter what. If you'll have me."

Maria smiled. She said nothing, because she was sure by the way Angelica took her hand and held it softly that the Secretary of State understood everything that she would have wanted to say.

* * *

Then,  _she_ brought  _her_ coffee.

Angelica herself showed up in the lobby where Maria was, one day when there wasn't a cabinet meeting. She was holding two mugs of coffee that looked as if they were skillfully brewed.

"I have free time," she said. "Do you want to hang out in my office or something?"

"Of course." Maria instantly hopped up and went to the now-familiar office, sat down in the chair, and listened to Angelica talk about the recent news.

"Did you hear that a governor is trying to abolish same-sex marriage?" Angelica's voice was laced with anger. "Even though it was legalized in the country. Can you believe that?"

Maria thought back to her childhood in her homophobic region. Slurs were thrown around, by her classmates and her parents and even James. And so she had grown up not believing that same-sex marriage should have been illegal and invalid, and she had found herself believing those slurs that were thrown around.

"I'm bi myself," said Angelica, "so this issue is very near and dear to me. What about you, Maria?" Suddenly Angelica saw her blank look, torn between her upbringing and her future, and her eyes widened.

"'Ria, you're not homophobic, are you? Please tell me you're not. You seem like a good person, and-"

"No," said Maria suddenly, making the decision that would frame the rest of her life. "No, I'm not homophobic. Sorry, I just spaced out for a little bit. I'm not homophobic, I swear."

Angelica smiled and patted her shoulder. "Okay, good. I was worried. Anyway, the way that he's trying to overturn the court's ruling is by..."

* * *

They had coffee at home.

Every day, they would have these coffee dates in Angelica's office, but they soon found that they were unsatisfied with them, so Angelica started inviting Maria to her house to sleep in her guest room. All night, they would sit on the couch and talk about their lives, Angelica teaching Maria how to block her ex-boyfriend James on social media and comforting her when she had a panic attack when she encountered him again. It was during one of these panic attacks, when Angelica had her muscular arms wrapped around Maria and was stroking her hair, that Maria was struck with a realization.

She was in love.

She was in love with Angelica Schuyler, the Secretary of State of the United States of America, and she didn't want to insult herself with a homophobic slur.

She didn't know if she was a lesbian or bi like Angie herself; her feelings about men were still ambiguous, especially because of her one bad experience with one.

She didn't know if Angelica liked her back; just because both of them liked the same sex didn't mean that their feelings absolutely had to be mutual.

But in that moment, she didn't care. Because she was hopelessly, helplessly in love with Angelica Schuyler.

* * *

She was sipping coffee when it came out.

They were hosting a late night karaoke jam session in their living room for giggles, and Angelica was rapping "Tambourine" by Eve while Maria was sitting and waiting for her turn with a  _Les Miz_ song. When she was done, and she paused the YouTube video, Maria couldn't help but say what she had been bursting to say for months.

"I'm in love with you."

"What?" Angelica asked, and Maria was tempted to backtrack. She fought that urge, deciding that whatever she was doing, she had to stick to it.

"I'm in love with you, Angelica, and I have been ever since you comforted me during a panic attack one time. And I'm sorry if this is weird or if you don't feel the same way, but I just wanted to get it out, because it's been tearing at me for once, and if you don't feel the same way, then we can talk it out and not ruin our good friendship. That's fine by me."

Angelica sat on the couch dumbstruck, and Maria felt the sudden urge to run out of her apartment and never look back. She had done it with James, and she could certainly do it again.

But then Angie stood up, ducked down a little so that they were on the same level, and kissed her.

Maria was so shocked that it had happened that she didn't do anything for a fraction of a second before she recovered her senses and kissed her back. Her hands found their way to the hair that she had been dying to stroke for months, then down the back that she terribly, terribly wanted to rub. Angelica's own hands lay still on Maria's neck, and it was comforting, just two girls and two bodies kissing in total stillness. So much more comforting than it had ever been with James. Even in the good days.

When they finally pulled apart at the same time, Angelica was looking at Maria, mouth spread in a smile wider than she had ever seen. The fingers of both of their hands interlocked without either of them willing them to, neither of them wanting to let go of the other for a very long time.

* * *

 

**Epilogue: A Year Later**

Maria was sitting in the apartment that she shared with her girlfriend Angelica, filling out papers and humming along to Eve's music playing on the speaker in the background, when the music stopped, signalling that a call was coming in. She picked up her phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, am I speaking to Maria Lewis?" a deep, masculine voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm just calling back about your application to Northeastern University. We've received it, and we are very interested in having you as a student. Would you be free for a phone interview this Friday at 4?"

"Let me check." Maria put the phone down, went to the Calendar app, and then went back to the Phone app.

"I would be free then. Thank you very much."

"Thank  _you_ for applying to our school." The man on the other end of the line hung up, and Maria let out a little squeak before calling Angelica.

"Hey, sugar," Angelica said as soon as she picked up. There was noise in the background, as if she was in a car.

"Hey, love, guess what?"

"What?"

"I got called back by Northeastern! I'm going to have a phone interview on Friday."

"'Ria, that's great! I'm so proud of you! I know you're going to do  _amazing_ in uni. Have you told Eliza and Peggy and Theo and everyone?"

"No, you're the first one I called. I'll tell them right now."

"I'll be late home, by the way, I'll be getting a bottle of wine to celebrate this occasion. Do you want me to invite the girls too?"

Maria laughed. "Slow down, Ange. I haven't been accepted yet. This is just a callback."

"Okay, fine, fine. But I  _am_ getting that good vintage that you like. See you later, buttercup."

"See you later, sweetheart."

Maria plugged her phone back into the speakers, turned the music on, and continued to work, drumming the fingers of her free hand on the table in rhythm.

James had slowed her life down to a stop. Angelica had picked it up and helped her push it along.

And she couldn't have been more grateful for that.

**Author's Note:**

> I made Hammy and Wash so mean in this I cry


End file.
